


If It Wasn't For Them

by Winchester_at_Heart



Category: One Day at a Time (TV 2017)
Genre: Demiboy Alex alvarez, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-07
Updated: 2021-02-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 02:20:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,783
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29252850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winchester_at_Heart/pseuds/Winchester_at_Heart
Summary: If it wasn't for Syd, Alex would have never questioned his gender. And if it wasn't for Eric, he never would have questioned his sexuality. If it wasn't for Elena, Alex wouldn't know who he was at all. Sometimes, they still don't think they do.
Relationships: Alex Alvarez/Original Male Character(s), Elena Alvarez/Syd
Comments: 7
Kudos: 24





	If It Wasn't For Them

**Author's Note:**

> Eric is a creation of my own. I don't normally add OCs, and he isn't an OC, they are just a random character I added who uses he/they.

If it wasn't for his sister and her growing need to drag LGBT into every part of Alex's life, he never would have known what exactly nonbinary meant. Well, if it wasn't for Elena and Syd. 

Syd had slowly become a constant, always sitting at Alex's spot at the table when he just wanted food. But they made Elena happy, and Alex could deal with that. Most of the time. 

What he couldn't deal with was Syd's habit of asking literally everyone for pronouns. Alex was a boy and that's all he needed to know. 

And he was confident in that. Until Elena invited her GSA back to the apartment. And she brought new friends. College had introduced her to do many new people. Someone who Alex could have sworn was a boy came and started telling about their experience with gender. And how they still identified as bisexual even though they didn't feel like they had a gender. Someone named Jules who had a little sibling Alex's age. 

And another person talked about how he wore dresses even though he was a boy. How he felt like dresses were who he was. 

And as Alex listened to their stories, he couldn't help but wonder how freeing that must feel. To not have to worry about what boys are and are not supposed do. 

But maybe he could learn about it without having to tell his sister anything he didn't want to. 

\---

So he waited until the GSA was gone and it was just Syd and Elena. Alex forced his sister and Syd to sit at the table so he could start the interview. "So, I'm basically being forced to talk about what makes me stand out and this," Alex gestured at his skin, " is no longer an option. I can't use it for everything, apparently. I decided the fact that my sister needed something special about her works." 

"So, Syd, how exactly did you know you're nonbinary?"

" I didn't. I'm still not completely sure. But I like being called 'they' and it always made me feel weird to be called a girl. So I had some of my friends at school call me 'they' and it stuck." 

Alex pretended to write that all down while he contemplated if any of his friends would do that for him. The conclusion was no. They all pretended to be pretty progressive but he had heard the things his friends called Elena behind her back. Or how the few times he had friends over while Syd was over, they just said that she was a confused girl because presentation and gender had to be the same to them.

"Alex. This isn't for school, is it? Are you-" 

Alex quickly started backtracking. "No. No. I'm not. I'm a boy."

"Then who assigned this? None of the Sisters would while I was there. "

"Obviously. Sister, um, one of them told me I had to, so, I'm writing this stupid paper. She's new You left, the world didn't stop. No, I'm not weird like Syd. I'm the normal one. "

"I think they're lying," Syd whispered and they both pretended not to see the smile on Alex's face at being called "they". 

\---

And maybe Alex was. Maybe he was comfortable with gender neutral language, but he was also fine with hearing masculine terms. So maybe he just happened to sit in on Elena's GSA meetings under the guise of exploring his probable bisexuality and staring at the person with the pretty red hair. Definitely not because that exact person mentioned using he and they pronouns and Alex never knew he was allowed to do that. 

Their name was Eric, he said. After careful deliberation, they decided he didn't want a stereotypical name. After all, if you're going to rename yourself, why not make it good. Eric had named himself after the Disney prince, since he was the first guy they were interested in that way. And Alex couldn't help but stare at those freckles and the way Eric told about their life. They way his hands drifted to and pushed against the back of his neck when someone said something they didn't like. Or the thin sliver of his tongue Alex could see when Eric spoke. How his teeth didn't quite touch. Alex couldn't tell if he wanted to be Eric or sleep with him. 

\---

Except Alex was straight. He had to be. His sister was the gay one. And he was the straight one. Victor couldn't have two queer children. He would kill them. And the look on Elena's face when Victor didn't want her, he couldn't force his sister to feel that again. Plus, didn't know if Eric was a boy or not. It would only be gay if Eric was a boy. And Alex didn't think Eric was. Because Alex was a boy. He was a straight boy. Second generation immigrant with trauma was a hard enough challenge, questioning his gender would just be too much. To ask his family to call him something different, his mother would freak and Lydia would die. Elena would be okay though. And so would Syd. And sure, Syd wasn't technically family, but they were 19, they might as well have been Alex's older sibling. 

\---

Elena had never been much bigger than Alex. Even though she had three whole years on him, Alex could still steal things from his sister's closet. Like a black tee shirt that fit him just like his own, but made him feel like he could take on the world. Or he could steal those jeans that Elena never wore anymore that fit even better than his tightest skinny jeans. 

Never while she was home though. Alex would only borrow his sister's wardrobe when she was out of the house and he would only walk around in it when he was completely alone. He didn't think anyone would notice, but that was a conversation he didn't want to have. And anyways why did the clothes he wore have to be boy clothes but the ones Elena were get to be girl clothes. Why did clothes have to have gender in the first place? 

Alex didn't understand. He wanted to understand why he felt so much better in his older sister's jeans then he did wearing his own. He knew he wasn't a girl. How that had never crossed his mind, no matter how many times he stayed up until 5:00 a.m. contemplating everything; and he had done that a lot. That was the first time the idea that he might not be the person he always planned to be came up. The first time that the way Eric looked at him might not be completely platonic. That he may noth have just idolised Elena's old "boyfriend". That he may have had a crush. He didn't think the boy was just cool, he wanted to date him. And he was jealous of his sister. 

\--- 

He was always jealous of someone. He wanted to be as confident in his sexuality as Elena was. He didn't want to worry every night about if his attraction to Eric was real. He wanted to feel as confident in his gender as he thought Syd did.

But he was also scared. He always thought they were sure of everything, but the doubt he saw in their eyes when they said they still didn't always feel like nonbinary fit made him worry. If Syd, someone who had been in his family for that long, didn't feel confident being who they were, he didn't think he ever would. Alex and Eric would talk when their sisters were in the GSA meetings and they had been kicked out. Jules never thought Eric was ready to hear about her sex life since he was only 17. 

The two of them would talk about Eric's experience with gender and how uncomfortable being in public would make him. One nights when the GSA meeting ran late, they even told Alex that they used to be forced to use their deadname and pronouns in what used to be a safe space because his parents had found it. Alex didn't know why that scared him as much as it did. Yeah, it sucked for his friend, but the idea of having to pretend to be someone he wasn't made his chest seize up. 

\--- 

Online, he was safe. He made a second Instagram, technically a third, and a new Twitter and took a page out of Syd's book, sticking first "he/they" then "they/them" in the bio, just to see how it felt. Then back to he/they. Because he didn't mind how "he" felt coming from Eric's mouth. 

And it felt good. It felt almost as good as sneaking into Eric's room for the third time that week so they could explore. So Alex could explore their sexuality and Eric could explore Alex's body. 

\--- 

And they were happy. They were so incredibly happy together. But Alex got sloppy. They didn't private their account. They posted photos in Lydia's makeup and showed his face clearly. He posted photos with Eric's handy work clear across their neck. And they got caught. Elena found his account while she and Syd were searching up LGBT+ friendly accounts. 

She didn't say anything to Alex. She wouldn't. She was dating someone who was nonbinary and had been forefully outed herself. She wouldn't out her little sibling. Of course, she would have liked to know, no matter how young Alex was, she would still invite him to her GSA meetings. But that wasn't what she thought he wanted, so she didn't. 

She was more clever than that. 

\--- 

"Alex, can you see if anyone at your school is my size? This doesn't fit right and I would feel bad throwing it out. "

"Alex, I'm considering taking a cosmology class for extra credits, can I practice on you?" 

"Someone I go to school with is being an idiot about using gender neutral language, can I record myself using it on you to prove my point?"

\---

She was always clever, until finally Alex sat her down at the infamous table while Lydia was at church and Penelope at work. 

"Elena, how did you join the GSA? "

"Oh. Are you-"

Alex cut her off. "I don't know what I am. But I know I'm something and I want to figure it out. "

Elena smiled. "That's fine. I'll get the room number for you. But, in exchange, I have a favour to ask. " 

Alex looked at her in confusion. 

"Can you and Eric keep it down when Jules is at home? She doesn't appreciate you two and your... your noises. "

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed.


End file.
